make a wish
by chasingafterstarlight
Summary: What would've happened if Jade West was the new girl at Hollywood Arts? Tori Vega is said to get everything she wants, but Jade West knows that's wrong. / AU, JadeBeckTori with splashes of other pairings, and no mean!characters.


**make a wish, girl**  
><em>on a shooting star<em>

_Jade/Beck/Tori_, **AU**

"Tori Vega has everything," Cat Valentine once told Jade.

Jade West soon figured out that she was wrong.

…

Jade West was the type of girl that didn't care what people thought of her. They could think that she was a complete and total mean girl to everyone that she met and she wouldn't _care_. But sometimes, inside, she really did care.

Her dad had decided that she needed to get out more, outside of the house that she spent most of her time in. She'd protested that there was no reason for her to. But now, she'd found a reason.

_Hollywood Arts_. Just the title of the name expressed all of her dreams, everything she had been looking for in a school. Despite her negative disposition, she was, above everything else, a singer and a performer. She'd always wanted to get to go somewhere that would allow her to develop her talents and gifts that she'd been given.

But there was no way her father would let her go. Even though they were rich, he didn't approve of her ventures into the arts, believing them to be fruitless and wasteful. He'd much rather help his daughter to become the CEO of some company. Even the _idea_ of that bored Jade to death. But, in essence, she was certain that there was no way that he would cough up the money for her to attend the school, and that might have been because she'd asked and he'd said no.

Even though he'd refused to let her go to the school, she still decided to attend their yearly Showcase, because really, there was no harm in just watching it. Not to mention, Jade West was not the type of girl to do what she was told.

Her father texted her to say that she was staying late at school, and Jade took it as a signal that fate wanted her to go to this showcase.

So she went. Despite her father's disdain for all things musical or nonsensical and the fact that all reason and logic was yelling at her not to go, she called a taxi to take her straight to Hollywood Arts.

She didn't know how much that night would change her life. And honestly, even if she'd have known, she probably wouldn't have cared.

She definitely would have gone anyway.

…

Accidentally, she crashed into a boy at the door. He was dark, quite tan, with a certain air of handsome about him that seemed to make every girl around him fall at his feet. But Jade knew better.

The boy offered her a hand, and she took it, ignoring the feel of his soft skin against hers. Abruptly, the boy asked, "Do you go here? I haven't seen you before."

"No," she replied just as abruptly. "And I'm glad I haven't seen you before."

"Is that supposed to mean something?" he raised an eyebrow.

Dusting herself off, she nodded. "Yes. Now let me go now, please?"

"I'm singing in the showcase," he informed her. "Just in case you wanted to know."

She let out a long, irritated sigh. "If I ask you what song you're singing, will you stop bugging me?"

"Probably," he allowed, grinning.

"What song are you singing?" she asked, nearly at the door to the auditorium.

"Make It Shine," he informed her, nodding a bit. "It's a girl's song, I know, but—"

Her ears perked up. She'd heard the song many a time through the irritating freaks at her school, and was ashamed to find that she liked it. "I love that song," she replied, not bothering to act excited in the least, "and if you ruin it for me, I will _not _be pleased. And if you mess up on the lyrics, I will know. And I know it's a girly song, but—"

"I'm singing it with—" he began, but she didn't hear the rest of what he said as she disappeared into the auditorium.

…

The people at Hollywood Arts could sing, Jade realized with a start. They could sing, dance, and act, which made her want to get into that school even more. Anything to get her out of the horror that had become her boring life.

The showcase went on, and on. Really, there was a girl that caught her eye, a girl who was singing a duet with a handsome black boy. She was tiny and pale, with a bunch of red velvet hair on her head. They were terrific singers, and the song that they sang was unbelievably good. How could she compete with people like _that_? They knew how to express themselves, too.

She fingered her brunette hair. If she was ever going to go to this school, _something_ had to be done about her hair. It didn't scream _Jade_. Just like her boring outfit of combat boots, jeans, and a boring red t-shirt, there was nothing exciting about it at all.

With a start, she realized that she needed to express herself more, if just through the way that she dressed.

Her attention was drawn back to the stage, as the sound of people screaming and someone coughing caught her attention. Her blue eyes narrowed as she waited for the next performer to come on. What could _possibly_ be taking so long?

Suddenly, the boy she'd met before- the one with the tan skin and perfect hair- ran up to her. "You said that you know the song _Make It Shine,_ right?"

"Word for word," she nodded. "Why? Need _help_ with your lyrics?"

"No," the boy rolled his puppy-dog brown eyes. "I just need someone to sing with me because, um, the girl who was supposed to sing with me got sick and she's not allowed to sing."

Eyes traveling from the boy to the row of seats and back, Jade finally nodded. "But you owe me big time, prep."

"Is that supposed to be offensive?"

"On every level."

…

The costume people drug Jade backstage. She kicked and possibly bit quite a few of them, but they didn't seem to care. They put her in a black dress that she actually adored and shoved her onto the stage. Eyes searching the audience, she finally began, feeling like a girly showgirl. "_Here I am, once again. Feeling lost but now and then…"_

The tan guy chimed in, grinning at her reassuringly. "_I breathe it in to let it go. And you don't know_…"

The song went like that, with both of them singing, and she felt like she was sort of, maybe, on top of the world. It was weird, that singing such a _girly_ song gave her such pleasure, but acting and singing were always her greatest pleasures: acting more so than singing, but still. It was also weird, the fact that she could sing so naturally with this tan guy whose name she didn't even know.

She felt everyone's eyes on her. For once, she didn't care.

"_When I make it shine_…" the two of them finally finished in unison.

The crowd roared around them. With a grin, Beck walked over to her and stuck out a hand. "Beck."

"Jade," she replied, grasping his hand carefully.

After that, a man ran onto the stage over to her. She quirked an eyebrow at Beck, who shrugged, but the man said, "Do you even go to _school_ here?"

"No," Jade said casually. "But that guy's singing 'partner' or whatever got _sick_- as if that's an excuse- and so he asked me to sing with him. And here I am. Happy ending, blah."

"Would you _like_ to go here?" the man asked, eyes wide in something like excitement.

Not feeling like showing excitement, Jade just shrugged. "Sure, but my dad won't cough up the moolah."

"How would you like a scholarship?"the man inquired.

Her blue eyes lit up. When she'd come to t he big showcase, she hadn't thought that it would turn out like _this_- with her singing and being offered a scholarship. But Jade West _did not_ do emotions, so she just shrugged. "Sure, but, um, aren't scholarships for those 'really good' singers?"

"And you're one of them," the man praised her, looking happy. "Just say you accept."

"I accept," Jade replied dryly, and that was all it took.

…

She decided that she needed a new look.

With a new school came a new look, and especially with a school like Hollywood Arts, where everything was about expressing yourself. She'd spoken to Beck after the show, and he'd explained about Hollywood Arts- how it worked and all. It sounded like a fun school, she knew, but she couldn't express herself with _boring_ brown hair and even more _boring _clothes.

"Dad," she called to her father the day before she was meant to start school, "can I have some money to get a new look?"

"Sure," her father, who had never cared as much for her as he did for money, handed her a wad of cash. "Just don't go crazy, Jade."

"I would never." The corners of her mouth turned up into a sadistic grin as she smiled at him, an evil glint in her eyes.

But Jade usually did the opposite of what she said she was going to do.

Black t-shirts, chains, everything punk or Goth looking that she could _find_ went into her bag. Not to mention eyeliner in the darkest shade, mascara, and many colors of punk-looking lipstick- they all went home with her. But even when she looked at the mirror and saw the black jeans, the chains, and the tight black t-shirt- there was still something _missing_. She still didn't feel like Jade West.

Then she glanced up and saw a hair salon with an advertisement for _hair streaks_. The thought ran through her head. She _couldn't_- her dad would kill her…

That fact just made her want to do it more.

With a proud smile and a flip of her boring brown hair, she marched right in there and demanded that they give her hair streaks in both blue and white. There was no _please_, no question in her tone.

"But miss," a young _boy_ told her, "you'll need a parent's permission and—"

Something flashed in her eyes. "Do _it_." It was the demanding voice, the scary voice that got people to do whatever she wanted because they were _scared_ of her.

"Yes, ma'am," the boy choked out.

She went home that day a changed girl, with streaks in her no longer boring brown hair. She was _Jade West _and she could now clearly express herself.

…

Jade West did _not_ like school buses.

But seeing as her father claimed that Hollywood Arts was 'too far out of the way' for him to drive her to, she was forced to ride it to school the next day. Climbing on, she glanced up and down the narrow aisle between the seats, looking for a place to sit.

"Hey!" the redhead she'd noticed at the show jumped up, nearly banging her head on the holder above her. "You're that girl from the show, right? Come sit with me."

There was nowhere else to sit, so she made her way down the aisle and plopped down beside the girl. "Who are _you_?" she asked, rather rudely.

Undeterred, the spunky girl shot her a smile. "Cat! Cat Valentine."

"Cat as in the _animal_?" Jade wrinkled up her nose. "I'm… Jade. Jade West."

"Your name fits you! It sounds so cool," Cat gushed.

This girl was unlike any other girl at Jade's other school, but she interested Jade nonetheless. "Thank you. I suppose."

If every person at this school was like Cat, Jade was going to have an interesting time, wasn't she?

…

Her first class was the one that she supposed would be her favorite- _Drama_. Problem was, she had no idea how to get there, and Cat had ditched her for some freak with a _puppet_ the moment they stepped off the bus. She had a strong desire to shove the puppet up- she cut herself off, glancing around. Being mean would do her no good on the very first day.

But then she saw the boy that she'd met first, the boy from the Big Showcase with the tan skin and brown puppy-dog eyes, _Beck_. She offered him a raise of her eyebrow. He grinned back at her and offered her a sweet smile.

Then she turned around and ran straight into a girl who dumped coffee down her front.

"Oh!" the girl exclaimed, sounding upset. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to!"

"It's fine," Jade barked, stepping back. "Don't touch it! You're going to make it worse already, as if it weren't bad enough."

The skinny brunette stepped back. "I really am sorry! And hey, wait. You're the girl who subbed for me at the talent show! Beck talked about you. Jade, right?"

Jade raised an eyebrow. "Whatever. And yes, I'm Jade. Who are _you_, is the question?" Thoughts, however, were spinning in her head. What did she mean, Beck had talked about her? What did he say- and wait, why was he talking about her to this random girl?

That was when Beck walked out, smile upon his face. "Oh, great, you've met already."

"Yes," Jade said in an icy tone, looking up at Beck. "This _girl_ spilled coffee all down my front and I _still_ don't know who she is."

Beck just laughed. "Jade, this is my girlfriend Tori. Tori, this is Jade."

_Girlfriend_. The word exploded in her mind like a bomb went off there- and it kind of was a bombshell, anyway. How could he not have told her? How could she not have known? A gorgeous guy like Beck Oliver surely wasn't single. But she scowled, hating this _Tori_ girl already. In a sugary sweet voice, she hissed, "Nice to meet you, _Tori_."

Tori, she could tell after only a minute, was the type of girl that got whatever she wanted with a sugary-sweet smile. Her voice was probably average at best, yet she probably got thousands of solos and was always the lead in the school play. Not to mention she probably had this Beck Oliver kid wrapped around her finger. What a cliché, the most popular girl and the most popular guy.

Jade had always been good at reading people.

Head still spinning, she sat down as the teacher who bore a strange resemblance to a hobo stood at the front of the room.

"It seems we have with us a new student today," the teacher announced. "Jaded Vest, is it?"

Jade grit her teeth, resisting the urge to retort with an insult- he was a teacher, after all, and she wasn't in the mood to get suspended on the first day. "Jade West."

"Yes, yes," the crazy teacher replied, as if her name was no big deal. "And Jaded, are you familiar with improv?"

Jade bit her lip. At this point, it was getting hard to resist. "Jade, and as a matter of fact, I am."

"Great," the teacher, who some random frizzy-haired boy leaned over and told her was named Sikowitz, continued. "No need for explanation then. Tori, you'll be the captain of the first group. Choose your group."

"Cat," Tori called with a cheery smile. "Robbie." The redhead from the bus and the puppet guy ran up. "Beck and... Jade."

She offered Jade a cheery smile, as if it were a way for her to make it up to her. Jade wasn't satisfied, but she followed Beck to the front anyway.

Tori led the skit with a cheery smile. Directing her 100-watt smile at Beck, she said, "Hey, oh my gosh, I didn't think I'd see you again!"

"Hey, baby," Beck grinned at Tori, and Jade resisted the urge to throw up. Walking over to Tori, Beck wrapped his (strong) arms around her body, and Tori giggled, obviously content.

_Vomit_, Jade thought, clenching her fist.

"Your coffee has arrived," Robbie said, grabbing the drink out of Cat's hand and handing it to Beck and Tori.

"Don't!" Cat squealed. "You're going to interrupt their private moment."

"Private moment," Jade sighed loudly.

Tori turned around, probably to tell Jade off, but she ended up bumping into Robbie, who accidentally dropped the coffee that he was holding up- _all_ over Jade's head. Dripping wet, her mouth dropped open and her blue eyes turned into slits.

"Oh my gosh, Jade, I'm so sorry!" Tori gasped. "I didn't mean to, honestly!"

"Save it," Jade hissed, shaking her head so that drops of the coffee flew onto the people around her. Angrily, she stormed out of the room, blinking rapidly as not to cry or anything- Jade West was _strong_ and people like this _Tori_ chick didn't bother her.

Someone followed her out of the room. It was the handsome black boy she'd noticed at the talent show, singing with Cat. With a grin, he said, "You okay, West?"

"Fine. Oh, except for the fact that I don't know who you are," Jade crossed her arms across her soaked chest.

He smiled apologetically. "It's fine. I'm André Harris."

"Got it, Harris," Jade stared at him. "Any reason you're out here?"

Sighing, he leaned against the wall. "Tori didn't mean to dump that all over your head, honestly. I'm absolutely sure she didn't mean to do anything to you. She just has a tendency to screw things up, really."

"Well, she's screwed with the wrong person this time," Jade hissed, ignoring the dirty connotations. "If I was anyone else, they'd probably be threatening to _quit_ right now or whatever, but I'm staying, and I'm going to put this _Tori _whatever girl in her place."

"Vega," André grinned at her. "Her name is Tori Vega, and she's my best friend."

"So?" Jade cocked an eyebrow.

Shrugging, he said, "I could tell you that I'm looking for your sympathy."

"You're not so bad, Harris," she smirked at him.

"And you don't look so bad with wet hair, West," he shot her a similar smirk.

"Thanks," Jade answered sarcastically with a small grin at this guy. Who did he think he was, anyway?

But it was then that a third voice joined the two of them. Running a hand through his dark hair, Beck hurriedly told them, "Look, I'm sorry to interrupt, but Sikowitz wants you back in class, even if Jade has coffee in her hair or whatever."

"It's your stupid girlfriend's fault, anyway," Jade hissed, wiping under her eyes. "Now I've got mascara running down my face and I look like a freaking raccoon."

"You look great," Beck assured her, before realizing what he'd said and clamping a hand over his mouth. "I'm going back to class. You should probably come back too."

Wiping under her eyes one last time, Jade turned to André. "I'm not the type to ask this, but be honest: do I look all right?"

"You look fine," André reassured her with a bit of a laugh

"I know," she replied, standing up perfectly straight and marching back into the classroom, André at her heels.

…

Though Tori had apologized multiple times and Jade knew it wasn't her fault, revenge was still the first thing on Jade West's mind. Tori Vega had humiliated her twice. In Jade's twisted brain, that deserved some sort of humiliation.

So she plotted and she planned because she'd never really been a good person, anyway.

Opportunity came in the form of a skit for Sikowitz's class, because everything seemed to happen in Sikowitz's class. He called them up to the front- their 'group', Tori, Beck, Cat, Robbie, André, and Jade- and asked them to do an 'Alphabet Improv'.

If there was one thing Jade was good at, it was concentration.

She managed to push through longer than Cat- who was out after the first round, anyway- and Robbie and André, so that it was only her, Tori, and Beck, oh, the irony.

Tori spoke first. "I'm sorry that I dumped coffee on your head!"

Though she knew it was only from guilt that Tori said it, Jade still thought it annoying that she kept bringing it up. "Just as sorry as I am that you're so ugly."

Beck spoke next. "Keep the peace!"

But Tori looked more crestfallen than angry as she said, "Wait, what?"

"You're out!" Sikowitz yelled. "Keep it going- Jade, you're at L!"

"Let me ask you a question." A smile curved at the edges of Jade's dark lips.

"Me will listen," Beck grinned as if he was incredibly clever.

"No, it's too embarrassing," Jade's voice had an edge to it, as if she meant the words in some sick, twisted way.

"Oh, come on, you brought it up," he laughed.

"Please, just kiss me?" she smirked at him, not bothering to meet the Vega girl's eyes.

His eyes widened, but he leaned in anyway and pressed his lips to hers. She'd imagined him before to taste like rebellion- to taste like everything that should be _Tori's_, to taste like rebellion and hatred wrapped up into a _Tori_-sealed package. But instead, he tasted _right_- like everything that should be _hers_, like cigarette smoke and moonshine, wrapped up to create a combination that was so _Beck_ it wasn't even funny.

She pulled away. She didn't meet Tori's eyes, probably filled with hurt like some puppy-dog that had been kicked. Jade considered it a lesson in trust- people were going to hurt you and Tori should learn that.

"I forgive you now, Tori Vega," Jade muttered coldly, turning to see the hurt in Tori's eyes. "Just remember that Jade West always gets her revenge."

She walked off, something like sadness filling her, and she began to consider that kissing Beck probably hurt her a lot more than it hurt Tori.

…

"Did you see the signups for the school play?" Beck asked, grabbing her arm in the school hallway one day.

"School play?" Jade cocked an eyebrow. "Wait, hang on a second- are you not _angry _with me?"

"No, should I be?" Beck's black hair spilled into his eyes. "That was just a stage kiss, right? It didn't mean anything."

"Yeah, right," Jade replied carefully. "Anyway, I might do the school play."

"You should do it," Beck grinned over at her. "Remember, I've heard you sing in the Big Showcase, and personally, I think you're pretty amazing… at singing."

"Thanks," Jade ducked her head. There was something about this kid that made her not want to be so mean to him, and she didn't get what. Maybe it was the fact that he was actually making an effort to talk to her and be _nice _to her. Raising a perfectly shaped eyebrow, Jade wondered, "Why are you being so nice to me?"

"I don't know," Beck laughed, grinning at her. "There's something that attracts me about rebellion, and you're sort of a rebellion, I suppose. You're the opposite of my girlfriend and there's something about that fact that…"

"I strive to be rebellious," Jade rolled her eyes.

"Anyway," Beck cut in. "What I came over here to ask in the first place, other than if you were signing up for the school play, was if you wanted to eat lunch with us."

"With you and Tori, the happy couple?" Jade wrinkled up her nose. "No thanks."

"I actually meant with all of us- me, Tori, yes, André, Cat, and Robbie. But nice to know your feelings toward our relationship," Beck laughed, staring at her.

"I'll consider it," Jade replied, walking off.

She ended up sitting with them at lunch that day, and nearly every day for the rest of the year. There was just something about diversity that attracted her, and this group was as diverse as it got, from the puppet-obsessed boy to the bipolar (almost) girl.

She also shoved a ketchup sandwich in the puppet's face, but that was irrelevant.

…

She auditioned for the play.

In hindsight, it was probably a stupid decision. She'd been told time after time that the role of the leading lady was Tori Vega's, _always_ Tori Vega's, and there was no point in even trying. But Jade thought that if anyone could put the annoying girl in her place, it was Jade West.

But one word glared up at her from the casting list beside her name- _understudy_.

Internally, she fumed. Jade West was no _understudy_. She was a starring role, a leading lady, and she certainly had a lot more stage presence and personality than Tori Vega. But there was nothing she could do about it, anyway.

Sighing, she turned around, when she ran right into Tori Vega.

"Oh, there's the perfect leading lady," Jade shot her a sickeningly sweet smile. "Glad to know you've snagged the part just like you _snag_ everything else."

"I don't snag everything!" Tori snapped, her brown eyes wide with hurt- and they reminded her of _Beck_, somehow, but she'd vowed not to think of him unless it was necessary, anyway. "I get things that I deserve. Honestly, Jade, can't you just be happy for me?"

"Happy because you're the leading lady, once again, and I'm just your stupid _understudy_?" Jade snapped. "As if."

"Look," Tori sighed, staring at her. "I get why you hate me- I dumped coffee all over you and basically ruined your first day at Hollywood Arts, but can't we just be friends? You don't want to have enemies at your new school, do you?"

Jade stared back. "I don't care."

"You don't?" Tori's eyes widened before she shook her head. "Look, Jade-"

"It's not like I want to be friends with a girl like you anyway," Jade glared at her. "You're just that type of girl that everyone secretly hates. You're dating the most popular guy, you're a great singer, and you're the lead in every play- nobody wants to have to live up to that level of _perfection_."

"You think my life is perfect," Tori's jaw nearly dropped. "You think _I'm_ perfect, don't you?"

"No," Jade lied, but then she rolled her eyes. "Okay, maybe a little."

"Have you met my sister?" Tori began, but then she stopped, sighing. "Look, I'm not as perfect as I look. I might have Beck, but he's always looking at you and talking about you. I might get the part in plays and be able to sing, but I'm not interesting- I don't have a distinct personality that people remember me for, like, well, you and Cat and I'm insecure, okay? Does that sound _perfect_ to you? I'm fat, too."

"If you're fat," Jade rolled her eyes, "I'm an elephant. Seriously, Vega, you have no room to complain in that area."

Tori started to laugh. "But honestly, I'm not perfect and I can't believe that I'm telling you all of this."

"Blackmail, Vega," Jade replied, but then she laughed. Jade actually _laughed_. "I won't do anything with it, for now."

"Truce?" Tori asked hopefully. "I'll try to stop dumping drinks on you, and in return, you'll stop trying to ruin my life."

"Don't tell me what to do, Vega," Jade shot back automatically before sighing. "Fine, I'll stop trying to ruin your life, and _do_ stop dumping things all over me. And maybe I won't hate you… as much."

"Yay!" Tori squealed. Leaning forward, she tried to wrap her arms around an unhappy-looking Jade, who simply pried Tori's arms off of her.

"_Don't_ touch me," Jade commanded, dusting herself off before she walked off. "Bye, Vega. Your secrets are safe with me… or are they?"

At the terrified look on Tori's face, Jade began to cackle evilly.

She felt evil, but she felt like _herself_ again- and she'd managed to find out that the Queen of Perfect wasn't so perfect.

…

On the day of the play, Tori got the flu.

It wasn't even Jade's doing- though she'd considered 'getting Tori sick' or doing something to ensure that she wouldn't show up to the performance and that Jade could take her part, she hadn't done anything. But on the day of the play, Trina (Tori's annoying older sister) burst into the room, looking horrified. "Tori- flu- can't come- needs to rest-"

"Slow down," Sikowitz chuckled. "All I understood was something about _Tori_."

"Tori's sick," Trina panted, finally slowing down. "And she's got the flu and the doctor says she has to rest! I can take over her part, if you want me to- I'd be fantastic, even more than my sister-"

"But Tori already has an understudy," Sikowitz turned around to offer Jade a huge smile. "Are you up for it, Wicked Witch of the West?"

Ignoring his new nickname for her, Jade nodded, almost smiling. "I'm always up for it."

Ten minutes later, she was outfitted in the dress, when suddenly, it hit her what the play was about. It was a love story where a girl was caught between two guys- one played by the handsome _Beck Oliver_ and the other played by that annoying puppet guy whose name she'd never bothered to learn. The girl was also supposed to be sweet and everything, which Jade could do but it would be hard.

And she would have to _sing._

Jade gulped as she took the stage alongside Beck. All went well until Beck looked right into her eyes and said the three words she'd been dreaming of: "I love you."

Her heart caught in her throat. Through her life, she hadn't been told that many times. Her father didn't love her, as he was constantly trying to get her to change. He wasn't the type to say 'I love you', anyway.

So to hear Beck say those three little words to her, even if they were acting, made a tiny smile come upon her face as the song began.

She sang her heart out then, not concentrating on the way the words were almost true.

For a time, his eyes were trained on her- then they flicked to the right, to land upon Tori, as if he was letting himself slip just a little bit but he needed a reminder. Much to Jade's dismay, Tori was his girlfriend and not Jade.

So why did she find herself teetering at the edge of a cliff, teetering at the edge of falling for him?

She reminded herself once again that she was playing a character. That the real Jade was strong and not so dependent on others.

Would the real Jade step out, please?

...

Everything seemed to be going just fine from then on. Jade forced herself to accept that it was Beck and Tori, not Beck and Jade. Tori was sure to express her undying gratitude that Jade had taken over her part, going so far as to offer her a hug. As always, Jade blatantly refused, telling Tori she would rather drown herself in a toilet.

But Tori just laughed and life went on. As months passed, she slowly gravitated toward becoming a part of the group that was Tori, Beck, Cat, Robbie, and André , though she sometimes felt like a fifth wheel- there was Beck-and-Tori and it seemed like there would be Cat-and-Robbie.

That was why she turned to André . There was the fact that they were both third wheels, and the fact that the pain in his eyes whenever there was Beck-and-Tori reflected her own. It was becoming increasingly obvious that he was in love with Tori.

But since André had always been scarily non-confrontational, she had to approach him first. "You love Vega."

"Nah, dude," André replied, all chill as usual. "You love Beck."

"I see we're at a standstill then," Jade considered for a second. "All right. I confess that I'm in love with Beck. Now you confess and we both stop pretending."

André seemed to crumble. "Right. So I love Tori. What are we gonna do now?"

"I don't know," Jade sat down, staring at the soles of her boots. "Sabotage?"

"Jade," André replied in a matter-of-fact voice, "we cannot sabotage Tori and Beck's... relationship."

Shifting uncomfortably, Jade asked, "Why not?"

"Because it's wrong," André replied, looking amused, "and Tori and Beck are our friends."

"Yeah," Jade said sarcastically (as always). "Some friends."

Then, her eyes caught André's, and for some reason, they both burst into laughter that didn't stop. They just kept laughing and laughing, though there was no reason to. But there was something about sharing the same pain that was funny to the masochistic Jade and the chill André.

"I'm masochistic," Jade said once she'd finally stopped laughing. "Laughing at my own pain- and your pain too, that's sadistic. Great."

The heavy sarcasm lining her voice made André raise an eyebrow. "Me too, West, chill a bit."

"But you're a _nice guy_, André," Jade told him, rolling her icy blue eyes. "And I'm just an idiot who's in love with someone who's _too good_ for me. He and Vega deserve each other."

He noticed the look on her face and nodded, before he started to lean in. Absently, Jade wondered if he was going to kiss her, so she leaned in a bit more. But at the same instant, they both seemed to realize what they were doing and pulled away.

"I'm sorry," André said, smiling forlornly at her. "But it's always going to be Tori for me."

She nodded, watching as the tan skin she'd envisioned faded back into chocolate brown. With a sigh, she told him, "And I guess it's going to be Beck for me. This sucks."

Clambering to his feet, André offered her a hand like the gentleman that he had always been. "Good luck, I suppose?"

"Same to you," Jade nodded at him, wanting to make a mean remark but narrowly resisting. "You deserve the best… even if the best isn't _Vega_, which clearly it isn't."

"And you're the best?" André cocked an eyebrow.

"No," Jade smirked. "I'm not the best for you, at least. I'm poison, baby."

Then she hopped to her feet, offering him a small wave over her shoulder as she walked off, wondering what was meant to happen next. She'd gotten it out there- for _whatever_ reason, she might have fallen (and fallen hard) for Beck Oliver. But now, she didn't know what she and André were supposed to do.

She was too good for him, anyway.

Except when she wasn't.

…

Everything seemed to be going perfect in the world of Beck and Tori, much to Jade and André's dismay. They were still the perfect couple, still the ones that held hands in the lunchroom and exchanged mushy words over dessert. But there was something faded in Beck's eyes, something that told her that he was still dreaming of rebellion and breaking away from everything.

She pretended like she didn't notice.

That was, until one day after lunch, Beck pulled her aside. Ignoring the way her heart sped up, she asked rudely, "What do you want?"

"To talk to you, obviously," Beck replied with a bit of a nervous laugh. "Anyway. I wanted your opinion on something."

"Why do you need my opinion?" Jade wrinkled up her nose. "Buying a gift for precious Tori? Great. Too bad your girlfriend and I are complete opposites, and I don't like her all that much, so if you ask my opinion I'll be sure to tell you the thing that _I_ like the most, which would be the thing that she _hates_ the most."

"What are you even on about?" Beck's eyebrow shot up. "I wasn't even talking about Tori. Why are you so obsessed with Tori?"

"Why are you so obsessed with me?" was what flew out of her mouth, though she wanted to take it back immediately.

"Because you're something new, Jade," Beck told her, shrugging. "You have no idea how boring it is, having to be the boy that's _perfect_ and _strong_. The boy that dates Tori Vega and it_stays_ that way. The boy that everyone can depend on, right, _dependent_ little Beck Oliver. And then you came around and you were strong and rebellious and you knew how to express yourself-"

"I'm not having this conversation with you," Jade hissed back at him. "You've got a girlfriend. Go deal with her. I'm not your girlfriend." She threw up her hands, walking off into the hallway.

There, she came across one of the most horrifying images of her life (at least, that was what she told people).

It was Tori and André, but if they'd just been talking or something it would've been normal. Instead, Tori's mouth was pressed tightly against André's, and his hands were on her hips. They were kissing, heatedly, as if there was some fire burning between them. Passion hung heavy in the air, and it hit Jade so hard that she wanted to walk away. Instead, she cleared her throat. "Something going on here?"

Tori and André jerked apart, so quickly that Jade almost wondered if she'd imagined the whole thing. But the identical guilty looks they gave her said otherwise.

"Look," Tori's eyes flashed back and forth. "You can't tell anyone about this."

"And who are you to tell me what to do?" Jade put a hand on her hip. "I think that Beck might just like to know that his girlfriend was cheating on him…"

It was the most fun that Jade had had in a while, seeing the terrified look on Tori's face and the satisfied curve of André's lips (though he was trying to hide it, obviously). She knew that she had the ammunition now- if she wanted to, she could ruin Beck and Tori's relationship. Right now, she could go back to Beck and tell him the truth. Tori wouldn't lie; she didn't have the backbone. It was all on her shoulders now.

But she sighed, exhaled, and turned to Tori before glancing back at André. "Go on your way, why don't you?"

In relief, André nodded and dashed away, probably not wanting to deal with what had just happened, and Jade could understand why. Turning back to Tori, she demanded, "What the heck was that?"

"I kissed André?" Tori fingered a strand of her _perfect_ brown hair.

"Wait," Jade put a finger to her mouth, as if she was surprised (she was, actually, but still). "_You_kissed _André_? Not the other way around?"

"Jade," Tori whined. "Don't say anything."

"Oh, believe me, I won't," Jade's voice was silky smooth but cunning, deceiving, somehow. "I won't let it slip to _Beck_ or anything."

"Jade!" Tori's voice went up a few octaves. "I'm being serious here! Beck can't ever find out, cause-"

"Care to explain, then?" Jade's perfect black fingernails flew up to her hair, brushing a piece of brown hair out of her eyes. "Why you're dating Beck but kissing André? Because that seems like an, I don't know, _not nice_ thing to do? It makes you seem like a player, and player girls aren't very attractive. Especially ones with flat chests."

Tori's eyes immediately flew down to her chest before she looked back up. With a frown, she finally just broke down and began to talk. "Well, André was just talking- he seemed really upset, something about being in love with this girl who would never love him back. It was a whole lot of stuff, and he just seemed really upset. And Jade, I know you haven't been here long, but-" her voice faltered, "but André is my best friend, and he was even long before I started dating Beck. We were always _André and Tori_, you know, the infamous best friends of the school and… and…" she trailed off.

"And?" Jade scowled at her. "You can't just leave the sentence hanging like that. Really. Why did you kiss him, anyway?"

"Because," Tori sighed, falling back against the wall. "He was so vulnerable and weak and I hate seeing him sad, I really do. If you're looking for selfish reasons, though, it was because I wanted to feel loved. I wanted to feel like two boys wanted me, and if I kissed André while I was dating Beck, I'd feel loved for once." Sighing, she looked up. "Happy now?"

"No need to get all deep on me, Vega," Jade warned, but upon Tori's eyebrow lift, she just sighed. "Fine. I won't tell Beck. But only because I'm trying to be a 'better person'- and failing, other than this, but whatever- and because I don't want to be the one to blame. Also, because you're pitiful in a bad way and I sort of like André- in a friends way, of course."

"Thank you, Jade," Tori jumped to her feet, looking as if she was going to hug Jade. But as soon as she got close, Jade pushed her away.

"Don't ever touch me, or I _will_ tell Beck," Jade smirked at her, walking away.

"That I'm touching you?" Tori called, looking horrified.

Turning around, Jade resisted the urge to burst into laughter at just that. "No. But that, too."

She couldn't believe how _nice_ she was actually being- she had blackmail on the stupid Vega girl and she wasn't even going to use it. But of course, it might have had something to do with her own selfish motives. Well, not her own selfish motives as much as the fact that she loved Beck and she didn't care to see him heartbroken, especially after finding out that his girlfriend was cheating on him with his best friend.

Wow, she was turning into a softie.

…

Everything just got all the more awkward after that.

They ended up going to the beach one weekend, all of them- Beck, _Tori_, André, Cat, Robbie, Trina (though no one wanted her there), and Jade. But they ended up getting stuck in the RV, and it was _hot_ outside.

Jade decided it would be best to just lay low, ignore the droplets building up on her arms, and watch the drama unfold.

As always, Beck's arm was around Tori, and Tori's head was burrowed into that space between his neck and his shoulder. But Jade had a feeling that soon enough the heat would be getting too much for both of them.

Five minutes later, they pulled apart, and Jade thought she saw Tori shoot a longing glance over at André, who was sprawled out over the couch.

Biting her lip, she resisted the urge to say anything, because anything she said right now could get her into major trouble. Instead, she contented herself to watch Cat and Robbie flirt playfully. Everyone else seemed to be dying from the heat.

"It's so hot," Tori said, walking across the room and faceplanting in the rug, burying her face into it.

From the corner, Jade thought she heard André mutter, "Yes, you are," but she ignored it.

She wanted to slap Beck in the face for his stupidity, too. For someone who wanted to rebel and get out of the same old routine, he was so oblivious. Honestly, all the hints were right under his nose- the way that they were always staring at each other, the way that Tori flinched whenever Beck touched her, and, of course, the thing that André had just said under his breath. Jade couldn't believe the stupidity of some people, and if she hadn't promised that she wouldn't say anything, she would've called him out on it already.

"So," Jade slid back against the bed, "what have you been up to lately, _Vega_?"

"Nothing much," Tori lied. "Just _sweating my butt off_, here. Honestly, Beck, baby, how do you survive without an air conditioner? Are you just, naturally that cool?"

Nobody laughed.

"Your sense of humor never fails to remind me of how much of a failure you are," Jade yawned.

"Don't call Tori a fail!" Cat protested, but she was giggling too. "I

Her patronizing glare turned to André, hoping that he would crack under the pressure like a boiled egg with a shell. "And you, André?"

"Just writing a couple of songs," André looked down, obviously not the best of liars.

The corners of her mouth turning up into a smile, Jade asked, "Why don't you sing one for us?"

All the rest of them agreed, and in the end, André finally agreed to sing, his throat dry and cracking but the meaning still hanging, damp, in the air. Yet, Beck still didn't seem to be catching on. Jade had to wonder how stupid Beck Oliver really was.

Once the person pulled away and they were finally let them out of the RV, she pulled Jade aside. "Hey, can I talk to you?" Her face shone.

"If you have to," Jade sighed, irritated. "What is it? Don't take up too much of my time."

"You really like Beck, don't you?" Cat grinned dreamily. "You stare at him like he's a cupcake- ooh, I like cupcakes-"

"Cat, don't get off subject," Jade commanded.

The redhead's face fell as she looked at Jade."What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that you should tell me what you're going to tell me or I'm going to walk away," Jade grit her teeth, staring at her 'friend'.

"Oh, anyway," Cat continued cheerfully, "I know that you like Beck and you know, Robbie and I are rooting for you!"

"Rooting for me?" A disgusted look made its way onto Jade's face. "But we don't have _teams_. This isn't some stupid _sporting event_."

"Right," Cat bounced up and down. "I like sporting events, but once my brother got punched in the face at one, and it was really sad…"

"Why don't you want Tori to stay with Beck?" the girl with the hair streaks demanded.

"Because," Cat looked shocked, "Tori's really nice and everything, but I think that you and Beck would balance each other out, like opposite ends of a magnet! And don't tell her this, but Tori's a bit annoying because she always- hee, hee- gets everything she wants."

"Yeah, I got you there," Jade rolled her eyes. "Tori gets on my last nerve."

"She can be nice, though!" Cat grinned over at Jade before nodding her head. "Anyway, I've got to go now, see you! Think about what I said!"

Shaking her head, Jade tried to think for a second about what Cat had actually said before giving up, deciding that she couldn't remember. That was when she ran into Beck, once again. She seemed to run into him at all of the wrong times.

"Oh," she said lamely. "Get out of my way, would you? And why are you _here_, anyway?"

"Course I'm here," Beck stuffed his hands in his pockets. "This is my _RV_."

"The idiots all went down to the beach," Jade motioned to the running high-schoolers. "You could go down with them. You know, watch your girlfriend flirt with surfers, watch the stupid puppet hopefully get eaten by a shark-"

"Hopefully," Beck agreed before he turned back to look at her. "Thing is, I kind of wanted to talk to you-"

"I am not having this conversation," Jade shot back, wriggling out of his grip. "You're a sappy idiot that dates all the wrong girls, and that's all that I have to say about you."

Groaning, he looked up at her. "Jade-"

"I'm going down to the beach," Jade informed him. "Either you're coming or you're not coming."

He followed her. She knew he would.

…

It was one of those days where nothing ever seemed to go right. Rain was pouring in buckets from the sky, and she was stuck outside, waiting for her father to remember that she needed a ride.

Someone walked up beside her, flipping their car keys around in their hand. "Need a ride?"

"Not from you," Jade automatically shot back without even looking back to see who it was. Once she did, she sighed in annoyance. "Don't talk to me ever again."

"Don't be dramatic," he retorted. Sticking out a hand, he informed her, "Come on. Whether you like it or not, you're coming with me, so you might as well make this easy."

"And if I don't?" she challenged.

"Fine, I won't talk to you ever again then," Beck grinned evilly. "Like you _want_ me to."

Unhappily, she took his hand and let him pull her to her feet. "Where's your girlfriend? Aren't you going to drive her home, too?"

"I couldn't find her," he replied, obviously lying, but he seemed not to care that much about his own girlfriend, which was weird.

"Fine," Jade sighed, hopping into the truck. "As long as Vega's not with us, I'll ride with you in your ugly car."

In truth, it wasn't ugly at all. It was yellow, not bright yellow but yellow nonetheless, and it was a convertible but it had one of those pull down roof things so that they wouldn't get soaked. She climbed in to the passenger seat and didn't buckle the seat belt, because in her opinion, those were for chickens. Sighing, she turned around to look at Beck. "Honestly, you're wearing a seatbelt? What are you, five years old?"

"And proud," Beck confirmed with a grin. "Come on, Jade, it's the law."

"Come on, Beck, live a little," she mocked, leaning back into his plush seat."You're not even going to turn on the radio?"

"You could," he pointed out, but he reached up and turned it on nonetheless. "Happy now?"

"I'm never happy, but thank you anyway, I suppose," she thanked him reluctantly.

At the red light, they pulled up beside a convertible full of soaking wet, idiotic teenagers. One of them yelled, "Hey, Oliver! Cheating on your girlfriend, are you? Ooh, someone's finally grown a backbone." The rest of the idiotic boys backed him up with catcalls and the like.

Rolling his eyes, Beck just kept on driving, not seeming to care. Jade's mouth dropped open. "You're not even going to tell them off or anything?"

"No," Beck's eyes didn't stray from the road. "What's the point? It'll just start some fight that I don't want to get into."

"You're so non-confrontational," Jade complained, stretching. "But less so than André, if you can count that as an accomplishment, which I suppose you can."

They arrived at somewhere and Beck stopped the car. Confused, Jade looked around. "Idiot, this isn't my house."

"I know," Beck grinned lazily at her. "It's my house."

"Mind telling me what I'm doing at your house?" Jade demanded.

He raised an eyebrow, grinning. "I was thinking that you could, well, come over for a little and help me out with something-"

Jumping out on her side, she walked around to the other side of the car. Giving Beck a bit of a shove, she told him, "You're such an idiot, Beck Oliver."

He leaned a bit closer, still smirking. "But an attractive idiot, aren't I?"

Frowning, she realized how close they were- and then, one of them just broke (she didn't know who) and then they were kissing, once again. For something so wrong- he was _Tori's_- it still felt so familiar and right that she couldn't pull away. There was a tinge of rebellion, which probably attracted them both- that was one thing they had in common, _rebellion_.

Her arms instinctively wrapped around his neck, and his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer in a possessive way. For a few more seconds, they were _Jade-and-Beck_, the two rebels who were determined to change everything.

Then there was a shriek, and reluctantly, Jade jerked away from Beck. Both of their heads spun to see Tori Vega, with a pile of presents that she'd dropped in front of her.

"Oh my gosh." Tears were stinging at the corner of the tan girl's eyes. "Oh my gosh, I can't believe this. Beck… I trusted you… and Jade. I thought we were friends, or something like it. How could you do this? I mean, I knew that you guys were close but I- I…"

Her eyes fell upon the guilty look on Beck's face, and she knew that maybe she should feel guilty but instead, she thought that Tori should be the one who was feeling the guilt, here.

"Look," Jade's voice rang clear in the silence. "I know I promised I wouldn't tell, but we've got some extreme circumstances, here. You're trying to make me feel guilty for kissing your boyfriend while first, I am _not_ your friend or anything close to it, and second, you already kissed André while you were dating Beck."

Beck's arms tensed around her. Turning, she saw that he was now scowling, all traces of guilt wiped from his face. "Wait, what? You kissed _André_ and you tried to make me feel guilty for kissing Jade? I can't… I don't… I can't believe you. I don't care if I'm being impulsive anymore. We're so past over that it's not even funny."

"But Beck-" Tori began.

"Save it," Beck hissed. "Go tell your little buddy André if it's so important. Come on, Jade. I'm taking you home." He turned back to Tori. "Once I get back, you'd better be gone. I'm not in the mood to talk to you right now."

She nodded, looking ashamed, and as Jade turned to walk off, Tori grabbed her shoulder. Into her ear, she whispered, "I'm sorry."

"Me too," Jade muttered back, though it was a hard confession for her to make.

The car ride home was long and silent.

…

Jade West was bored. There was no one to hang out with- it would be awkward to go to Beck's, hanging with Tori was out of the question, Tori had probably ranted to Cat and André about how Jade ruined her relationship, and everyone from her old school- they were all idiots. Frowning, she thought of all the people from her old school, and with a start, she remembered her ex-boyfriend.

Her fingers wavered over his number on her phone, and then, as if it were out of her control, she dialed his number. She was only looking for a quick make-out session to forget about Beck, anyway.

Twenty minutes later, she was kissing him in his living room and hoping that no one would walk in. She hadn't seen him in ages and he wasn't her boyfriend anymore, but that didn't matter to her. She held his handsome face between her hands and pretended that he was still hers.

Truth was, she'd always been good at pretending, hence her scholarship at Hollywood Arts.

His blonde hair faded into dark brown, ad his freckled skin darkened under the bright lights. Blue combined with the coffee brown that always muddled her mind. For a second, she was able to pretend that he was Beck Oliver instead of James Wood.

But then he jerked away from her. Five inches from her lips, he whispered, "I have a girlfriend."

"I don't care," Jade responded, quite honestly, but then she sighed, resisting the urge to kiss him again and instead asking politely, "Who is your girlfriend?"

"Her name is Cat Valentine," he responded, and her world stopped.

Honestly, she had to be the worst person in the whole world. In the course of twenty-four hours, she'd kissed the boyfriends of the only two girls at her new school who had ever been able to put up with her. Shaking her head, she told him, "No. No, I can't do this. I won't do this. I love Cat too much." And it was true. Despite her icy exterior, somewhere deep beneath, Jade West had a heart.

"Don't tell her," James called behind her, but it wasn't as if she cared (anymore).

She ran. She obviously had no place to go. If she went home, her father would ask about the mascara streaks running down her face and she didn't want to explain to him.

There was seemingly only one option, even though it might be a bit awkward.

Tossing open the door of the RV, she ran right into Beck's homely little living area. His eyes immediately flashed to her. "Jade, what are you doing here- whoa, what's wrong?"

"I'm a bad person, Beck," Jade told him. "If you want to kick me out, feel free to."

But instead, he crossed the room in a couple of long strides and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against his chest. "You're not a bad person… well, sometimes you are, but. Nobody's perfect."

"What about Tori Vega?" Jade wondered, pressing herself closer to him- the need for physical contact was becoming too much.

"Tori Vega isn't perfect, either," Beck told her, sighing. "I _would _know that, better than anyone else. Now, what do you say we go forget all of this?"

"And _how_ do you suggest we do that?" Jade shot back.

"Ever ridden on a motorcycle?" Beck asked her, his face lighting up.

…

Life went on, even when things seemed tough.

The school went into an uproar of sorts at the announcement of the big two end-of-the-year things- the _Prome_, started last year by the infamous Tori Vega, and the school play, which was a romance and quite the big deal.

The school play was first, and the auditions had everyone talking. The guys auditioned first, and rumor had it that Ryan Bennett, school hottie, had snagged the main male lead. Excitement shone in Jade, Cat, and Tori's eyes.

Jade practiced for hours, much to the amusement of Beck, who'd never seen her this dedicated to any cause. But she had to get this role, had to show that she was good enough, just like Tori and Cat.

Audition day rolled around, and Jade's nerves got the best of her, and she decided that maybe she didn't need the lead role after all- she'd already had it once, so why not give someone else the chance? She messed up a few times and stumbled quite a few times, going so far as to forget a few of her line. At the end, she grinned a bit, knowing that she hadn't even gotten do to her best. She ran outside to where Beck was waiting for her and sighed. "I messed up big time."

"I'm sure you did just fine," Beck reassured her. "You're a terrific actress."

"I don't need you to reassure me," Jade hissed, pushing on his chest a bit. "It's just that I missed a few lines because my nerves got the best of me."

Beck laughed. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see, then."

They didn't have to wait long. The cast list was posted outside of Sikowitz's classroom when they got to school the next day, and everyone was buzzing. Jade pushed her way to the front of the crowd, pushing everyone possible out of her way with a scowl on her face, when finally she got to the front to where she peered at the cast list.

Her eyes immediately fell upon the thing that she'd had worried over for so long- _Female Lead_. And printed right beside it was _Caterina Valentine_.

She inflated. _Cat_ had claimed the lead role. Her first reaction was happiness, but it was followed closely by relief- Tori Vega hadn't gotten the role and was instead Cat's _understudy_. Jade had a supporting role, which was pretty important to the plot.

Mustering up a genuine smile, she walked over to Cat, and rather than one of her normal snide remarks, she said sincerely, "Congratulations."

Cat looked up, surprised, but she offered Jade a genuine smile. "Thanks."

Jade West truly wasn't the worst person ever, was she?

Besides, Cat would get to work with Ryan Bennett. Jade only had one guy on her mind.

….

Everything seemed to fly by from then on as the end of the year approached. Rehearsals for the play went well, and Cat really seemed to get into her role. Since she'd vowed to become a better person, Jade was actually sort of glad that Cat had claimed the role, because she seemed to get into it much more than either Tori or Jade would. Even Tori had seemed to muster up a smile from the seat that she was watching the play from.

Sighing, Jade decided that she didn't have a part in the play for a while, so she walked over to where Tori was seated and took the seat beside her. "Hey, Vega."

"Jade," Tori sighed, looking over at her.

"Look," Jade leaned back, not wanting to say anything but knowing she was obligated to. "This is really hard for me, so listen up. I'm only saying it once but I'm… I'm sorry for everything. For kissing Beck. For screwing up your relationship with him. For telling what you told me not to."

"I'm sorry, too," Tori smiled a little bit. "For making you feel guilty when I did the same thing. For making you keep things secret. And it was for the best, anyway, Beck and I hadn't really… been working for a long time now. We looked fine in public, sure, but we were always fighting and… I didn't really love him anymore. Not to mention the illicit feelings I was having for André."

"Illicit feelings aren't fun," Jade agreed uncomfortably.

Tori laughed, then reached over to Jade and gave her a tiny, tentative hug. Frowning, Jade pulled away from her. "Don't _ever_ touch me."

Some things never change.

Tori just laughed and turned back. "You'd best be getting back up there, your part's coming up soon."

"Bye, Vega," Jade called, walking off. "Don't ever speak of this."

"Of course I won't," Tori said, but she grinned at Jade, a bit of a twinkle in her eye.

...

Before they knew it, it was the night of the play. Jade still hadn't been asked to the Prome, but she wasn't counting on anyone asking her. In fact, she thought she probably wouldn't end up going- she thought that the Prome was going to be incredibly stupid.

The school loser, Sinjin, had asked her multiple times, but she'd refused him multiple times. She wasn't in the mood to go, and she was in even less of a mood to go with a loser.

But once they got there, she gave Cat a small squeeze and told her friend that she looked beautiful, a compliment that Cat quickly returned with a grin. She squealed about how this was going to be the most amazing play ever.

And it was. Cat was amazing, as were Ryan and the other main parts. Jade did just fine, and she didn't get nervous- later, she claimed that it might have had something to do with Beck's reassuring smile. But the play went as well as it could, and at the end, they got a well-deserved standing ovation and Cat received flowers the colour of her hair.

Cat threw an arm around both Tori and Jade. "That was amazing, guys! That was the best play ever, and you were great, Jade, and just wow!"

"You were the best, Cat," Tori said with a big smile, glad that Cat had finally gotten her share of the spotlight.

A shy-looking Beck approached them then. With a small smile, he asked, "Can I talk to you, Jade?"

"Just talk to her right now," Cat threw her hands in the air, as if she was wondering why Beck was so stupid.

He threw her a bit of a frown. "_Alone_."

"Sure," Jade replied, stepping away from the other two girls and following Beck out into the hallway. Putting a black-painted hand on her hip, Jade asked, "So, what is it now?"

"I was just wondering if you'll go the Prome with me," Beck asked, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I know that it's been sort of awkward lately, but you're my rebellion and I think that I might really like you and…"

She cut him off by pressing her lips to his, wrapping her arms around his neck. They kissed for a bit before Beck pulled away with an amused smile. "So is that a yes?"

"That is a yes," Jade confirmed, laughing as she leaned in to kiss him again, and she wondered where the _real, strong _Jade had gone.

But she sort of liked this side of her, anyway.

…

Prome Night, Jade stepped out in a turquoise dress, feeling pretty for the first time in a while. It felt weird to be surrounded by all of these people, but she found Beck within the crowd anyway. He wrapped his arms around her neck.

"You know, Jade," he told her as he twirled her around. "I'm not the type for sappy compliments, but I don't think you're a bad person. Actually, judging by the way you forfeited your audition for Cat, you're a good person."

"I did no such thing," Jade replied coldly.

"Jade," Beck hissed, pulling her closer to him. "I saw you rehearse. You knew that piece like the back of your hand. I _know_ you could've done it, but you didn't. I saw the smile on your face. It was definitely forfeit."

Jade sighed, knowing it was completely true. Giving up, she just shrugged. "Maybe I just wanted someone else to have the spotlight for once."

"You're a good person, Jade West," Beck informed her, leaning in to press his lips to hers again.

From the stage, Tori cleared her throat, causing Beck to jerk away from her. The two of them stared up at Tori, who beamed at all of the crowd.

"So, guys, every year, we have a Prome King and Queen!" Tori said happily. "Seeing as I'm a judge, I'm not eligible, so…" she laughed. "Anyway. We had quite a lot of votes, but it ended up as two people getting quite the large majority."

"Who?" the crowd began to chant. "Who? Who?"

"The Prome Queen is… Jade West!" Tori screamed at the top of her lungs.

Shock filled Jade's body, along with a bit of disgust- she'd never wanted this, never wanted to be Prome Queen, but the crown was shoved upon her head anyway. She wasn't the type to appreciate stuff like this, anyway, but the crowd roared with applause and she mustered up a smile.

"And the King is… Beck Oliver!" Tori announced, and Beck joined her up on the stage, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

As the applause died down, Jade hissed to Tori, "You rigged it, didn't you, Vega?"

Tori offered her a small smile and a shrug. Laughing, Beck just leaned over and kissed her again.

…

Cat Valentine once said that Tori Vega got everything she wanted.

Jade West knew that she was wrong.

…

**A/N: so I'll say first that you're probably sitting here staring at your computer screen like 'wth is this'.**

**I wrote this for three reasons:**

**a) I hate Victorious canon. Just saying.  
>b) I wanted to write a story where neither Jade or Tori was a big you know what.<br>c) I wanted to develop the characters more.**

**Hopefully, I was able to achieve at least one of those.**

**But obviously, it is AU- alternate universe- and **_**Jade**_** was the new girl, not Tori, which twisted everything around.**

**I was going to throw in some Tori/André, but I ran out of room, so just assume that they got together, okay? **

**This was so fun to write, though. REVIEWS ARE LOVE, GUYS. If you review, I'll be encouraged to write more.**

**And on my last Victorious story, I got so many favorites without reviewing, which are a pet peeve of mine. If you could just leave a short review, that would make my day, okay. It's not that hard.**

**I love you guys, though, anyway? ;)**

**Please leave a review and tell me what you think, this took me **_**so**_** long. Thanks!**


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